Someone I Plan to Kill
by Gravesgrass
Summary: With the help of a certain spirit will Zuko get the revenge he so desperately seeks?
1. Introduction

_Even when I win, I lose. --Zuko_

Beating down mercilessly, the rain never seemed to stop.

But neither would he.

Ever.

Zuko wiped his eyes the water seemed to never stop seeping into his line of vision. He hated water. It was cold and he just hated it, perhaps out of nature.

But not as much as he hated HER.

"Don't get up" She threatened

His eyes blazed with fury yellow orbs retracting. He was in the prone position his hands came up from under him he leapt turning to face her.

"I said…!"

A blast of water shot him back against the wall of a cliff. His back shot with pain, but he was used to it. He glared again from his knees at her.

"…NOT to get up!" she finished brows furrowed hands tossed in anger her shoulders taut.

"..I..I" he coughs "…do _not take orders _from peasant water tribe girls!" he stood blasting fire bolts one after another.

She deflected them easily her strength increased ten-fold by the rain.

He cried out, charging her.

Blue eyes widen as he tackles her middle throwing her to the ground her head bounces crudely on the ground; he turns sliding in the mud his back stops against a log. He sprints back to her sprawled form she's covered in mud. He lifts an arm to attack, to make the final blow. Brows furrowed angrily, eyes aflame.

She doesn't move.

He stops his form relaxing. He feels the familiar sore pain seeping into his arms and legs then he falls to his knees; mud seeping into his clothes.

He stands up lip upturned facing the sky.

He hated the rain.

He walked away not looking back.

That was his mistake.

His spine might of broke, as the blast was shot straight into the middle of his back his face hit mud, blood pooled in his mouth and nose.

A very angry Katara stared down at the "prince" of the fire nation. Almost a smug grin on her face

"I win"

"Katara!" Aang races out of the woods screeching to a halt beside her eyes bulging suddenly.

"You—"

"…Have to get out of here, I don't know when he'll wake up again."

"You..? Just want to leave him here? He doesn't look so good."

"I don't care, he tried to hurt you, he hurt my brother. HE doesn't matter." She relaxed a little. "..Okay?"

Aang studied her worry clear on his face.

"Katara--?"

"No! Stop it. Just listen to me I want to leave, and I want to leave…now" Her eyes were pleading "…please" she glanced at Zukos discarded body face down a glint of red shining in some invisible light. Aang wondered if it was really her fear of Zuko she wanted to leave behind—or something else.

"..Okay, but we have to get Sokka, he's still out cold." Katara tensed eyes down cast. Aang added quickly "--But he'll be fine! Lets go, Katara."

They hurried away. Leaving Zuko alone.

Rain battered harder blowing in bursts and swirls in the air.


	2. Going Down In Flames

Zuko awoke to a blue haze of a cloudy sky, he rubbed his head which was sticky with blood he crawled to a puddle splashing his face grimacing as he rubbed his hand over the injured part of his head.

His vision was blurry he blinked pressing his eyelids into his cheek in an attempt to improve his vision—no such luck. The puddle calmed and he saw his reflection. He glared at it, hating it. Angrily he smacked the vile visage of himself. His taut sore shoulders lowered and he relaxed his sore body in seeming surrender he let out a groan and fell back down in the mud, he felt the cold slime on his back. He shivered glaring up into the cloudy sky.

In the air among the clouds Katara sat on the back of Appa staring off into the distance wondering…

_I wonder what happened…did he die?_

Her eyes shimmered.

"Hey, sis what's the matter?"

"Nothing Sokka!" she snapped.

"Jeez, sorry oh queen hormonal" he rolled his eyes and turned away.

She wanted to apologize but her pride stopped her.

She began to drift to the past…

"_I just wanted to do the right thing!" He screamed his voice sounding a little hurt._

"_Zuko! Spare me." She hissed "I don't have time for your lies. I really thought…"_

"_I'm not lying this time please don't…" he inhaled sharply not able to look her in the eyes "Don't leave me here…"_

"_Please, shut up" _

"_Fine" flames ignited on his fists. _

"_Katara!" it was Aang_

"_No wait don't Aang!--" …but she wasn't quick enough Aang had already sent a large cannon ball of mud towards Zuko. Zuko was all too happy to oblige he dodged the chunk of earth and sent a flame at Aang. Aang had been hurt already with his fight with Azula, and didn't dodge. He was hit hard. _

_NO! Katara screamed_

"_Get out of here NOW Aang!" her eyes aflame_

"_No.." he said weakly _

"_Sokka get him out of here." She growled Sokka grabbed Aang up in his arms staring wide-eyed at his sister, and he ran. "No" Aang mumbled._

"_Please, come back sis." He whispered. _

"_So this is how you want it" he sneered. _

"_No, this is how you made it!" She threw back her shoulders to attack…_

Katara turned to stare down at the ocean as the tears fell from her face.

Limp. Limp. Limp.

"Agghhhh!" Zuko threw himself on the ground.

"My leg…" he groaned. "I can't go…on" He looked up at the sun glaring at it tears burned down his cheeks.

"I've lost everything! You've taken everything from me!" H shook his fists at the sky then slammed them on the ground in anger. "Uncle….why did you leave me, alone?"

"Awww look at the little boy cryin' on his knees."

Zuko was suddenly surrounded by a group of what could only be bandits.

"Bet he has nothin' worth stealin' boss"

"Nah, but he looks like—"

Zuko landed a punch on his face

"The hell?! He punched me—kill him!" the ugly man yelled.

Flames ignited at Zuko sides he ignored the pain that encompassed his body.

"Wha—a fire bender!" the large bandit cried a flash of fear went across his face.

This made Zuko smirk a little.

With the cry of a warrior he shot flames like a mad man. Trees around him began to burn and sizzle he punched on after another delivering hard kicks to their guts.

"You bastards! You lowly bandits are no match for me! I could beat you even with my dying breath!"

A cry of anger came from his right. He didn't have the time to react.

He suddenly felt a sharp pain in his shoulder a warm substance pooled on his shoulder and splattered on his face. The point of a bloodied spear stuck out through him. He stared at it for a moment in surprise. He cranked his neck around to see a shivering bandit.

"YOU!" He cried grabbing the spear end and crying in agony as he burnt it from his body he fell to his knees a smoking hole where the spear had been.

The criminal backed up in horror. Zuko spotted another spear that had fallen and lunged at the man. The sound of the spear penetrating the mans body would never leave the exiled prince's memory. As he stared into the dying mans eyes. His eyes wide in shock he dropped the weapon backing up uncertain of what to do now. He ran through the burning trees not even flinching as the branches cut into his face leaving small lines of blood.


	3. Death Pending

Zuko awoke to a dripping sound. He was lying face down. He couldn't remember falling asleep in this damp cave. It seemed his life consisted of getting his ass kicked and then waking up in cold and damp places these days. He scowled and leaned against the cool stone wall of the cave.

It was dark he lit a fist and raised it up to look around. He struggled to his feet and scuffled forward.

"You killed him, and scared the rest away. Very impressive."

Startled he backtracked a little, gold eyes wide. He looked around wildly.

"Who's there? And how do you know…know about that?"

He laughed.

"Who? I'm not what you humans would call a "who". "

A moment of silence.

"You're a spirit"

"Yes. I am," he said. "To answer the second question…I've been watching."

"What would you want with me?"

"To help you. Of course"

"Why would you want to help me" he said a little sadly and a little irritated.

He laughed again. "Because I can"

"How?"

"All you have to do is free me and I'll show you."

"How can I trust you?" He said quizzically

"Why wouldn't you? Have you some family or friends waiting for your return? Somebody else to go to?"

He lowered his gaze to the cave floor and shut his eyes the flame lower to a dim glow on his fist.

"I have no one," He thought momentarily of his uncle a tear trickled from under his eyes.

"Tears?" he sounded amused "What a poor soul" the S's hissed through the cave like a snake.

Anger glinted momentarily on the boy's face but was quickly replaced by a smooth emotionless one.

"How do I free you?"

"Oh, it's very simple…read the cave walls the writing will guide you"

Charioteers were written in what looked to be blood along the gray stone.

Zukos eyes went wide with shock. At what he discovered.

In the woods the group walked along a semi worn path. The sky was sunny cutting yellow shining ribbons through the trees.

"Welcome back to the aimless wandering adventures of—OW!" Sokka yelped "Why'd you do that for, Katara!"

"I'm just not in the mood for your pointless babble—can't it just be quiet!"

"Not if you yell like that all the time." He said smugly giving her a silly smile.

Katara's eye twitched. "YOU—"

"Sorry, sorry! Just don't kill me!" he grabbed onto her knees begging.

"NO, I'm just going to HURT you."

"Agh, Fine!" he let go running away from his fuming sister up to Appa who licked him making him yell and fall back behind the beast out of tongues reach. Aang snoozed on Appa's back a bruise on his cheek.

Katara hung back. Her hopes had been dashed a little she was dangling on a thin thread ready to fall in a heap of sobs. Her shoulder shook a little angrily she wiped away the tears that had escaped her eyes. And stopped her shoulders shaking. She walked forward with resolve.

Her angry shouts sent the fire benders running to do her bidding.

"Kill them all! I want them dead! Send word to my father I need more men, men worthy of my instruction. Pure bred soldiers." She lowered her voice to a sinister level. "Long Feng…" she whirled around to see the man chained between two fire benders. "Is to be put to death with the rest" She smirked "As for my brother and those…brats, I want them too. Send out a brigade."

"Yes, Princess Azula." The soldier said his voice shaking a little he left two other Fire soldiers following him.

She said a top the thrown.

"Azula! Wait I didn't mean to betray you it wasn't---"

"Shut you mouth, before I find a better way to pass the time at your expense, Long Feng"

His eyes didn't spare any fear he was dragged away by two fire benders he seemed to give up. His shoulder slumped and he was dragged away limp.

"I'm surround by incompetent idiots" She slammed a fist on the stone arm of the chair baring her wolfish teeth. The room was empty she's alone.

"Where are those idiots?" She sneered.

"Okay I understand why I'm running away, but why are you? Mai? Mai!" Ty Lee yelled.

"It just seemed like a good idea, I guess." She deadpanned not looking at her hyper little friend.

"Oh." She didn't seem satisfied though.

Mai looked around the woods it seemed so empty of life. At least to her it did.

"Let's stop a bit, okay?" Mai suggested

"Fine with me. I'll make fire."

"You know how to do that?" 

She looked a little sad for moment.

"I learned from my trainer at the traveling circus…"

"I see." She said shortly sitting on a log that was near the path.

She smiled happily "I'll go get the twigs!" she chirped.

"Whatever" Mai rested her chin in her palms her eyes far away.

In the past a Ba Sing Se…an underground tunnel that stretches underneath the city from the prisons made into an escape route by a certain hodge podge group.

"_Zuko, Stop!" Mai yelled her arm outstretched. _

_He did stop, her eyes were wide his back was to her._

"_Is that you?" he said not turning around. "Is that you, Mai?" _

_She remained silent. _

_He moved to face her. She let her arm fall her jaw dropped in surprise at the mark. _

"_Dang, it's been a while, hasn't it?" A bemused smile graced his to her memory unmarked face, but now marked. The stories had not exaggerated. She stared at his unruly hair. If you got passed the scar, he was still as handsome as her childhood memories remembered. He was certainly taller._

"_Yes, it has" she replied her face returning to it's placid normalcy. _

"_I'm going to have to stop you." She said darkly her eyes cast in shadow. _

_He scoffed "I hope your life doesn't depend on it, Mai" _

_She was little taken back. This certainly wasn't the little boy she remembered. _

"_Don't make this harder than it has to be, Zuko."_

"_What? Beating you, Mai. It can only get easier." _

_She glared. Daggers flew from her sleeves one graced Zuko's cheek locks of hair flew in the air. Zuko's eyes widened a bit. _

_She wasn't as he remembered either. _

_He charged dodging her daggers easily. She backed from his aflame fist, which graced her bangs singeing them. A dagger grazed his leg cutting a deep crimson line. He cried out taking hold of her wrists he unhooked her dagger bracelets. They fell to the ground in seeming slow motion. She gasped as he threw her to the wall of the earth tunnel. She heard him whisper one last thing before she was out. "I'm sorry it had to be this way." She remembered blurry images of him standing over her. _

"_Mai! Mai!" _

"_Ty Lee…" _

_She vaguely recalls mumbling words to Ty as she was sat up right against the tunnel. _

"_I'm leaving, I have to" Ty Lee said later explaining why how life seemed so empty without her pursuing her passion. _

"_I'm going with you." Mai said rubbing her head. Then rubbing her bangs between her fingers watching the burnt locks float away in the wind of the tunnel. _

"_Why, though?" Ty said surprised. Her eyes a little wide with suspicion, perhaps she would betray her plan to Azula. _

_She only looked back into Ty Lee's gray eyes a little sadly. That erased any suspicion but not curiosity. She leaned forward in anticipation for a long-winded explanation, perhaps. Mai only gave her an emotionless stare then stood up abruptly ignoring the swaying of the ground. _

"_Let's go. She'll be looking for us and we'll lose our chance." _

"_Okay, let's go I know the way." She replied looking in the distance longingly. _

"_Sure, Whatever let's just go." She croaked holding back something she hadn't felt since a small child. _

"_Are you crying, Mai?" her shock was raw. _

"_NO!" she snapped. Stomping down the tunnel Ty Lee watched her back with a sparkle of tears in her eyes. "Mai." She ran quickly after her. _

"Mai?" She noticed Mai playing with the burnt ends of her hair again.

"Yes, Ty?"

"Are you worried about your hair? Because I could fix it, ya know I—"

"No. Let's just go to sleep. I need to sleep."

"Okay." Ty said a little sadly lowering her eyes she brought out a bedroll from her pack.

"There's one for you in my pack too." She sat it by the log and unrolled hers a little ways up wind from the fire. "Fine." She said absent mindedly, lost in thought.

Glancing back once at Mai "You'll always be my friend, Mai." She said to herself then she turned away going to sleep.

Mai stared into the flames of the fire until morning.


	4. Revival

Scrawled in the cave walls was an incantation. It read: Place the embodied soul here the soulless corpse will not resist.

"I need a body" the darkness echoed Zuko felt a presence on his shoulders pulling tightly.

"If you would be so kind…there seems to be a certain soulless body nearby…"

Zukos conscience was begging him not to do this, but what good had that gotten him in the past he sneered inwardly. His brow furrowed.

"Very well, I'll do it."

"That's a good boy" it chattered happily.

It was raining again.

"Oh, give me a break." He mumbled trudging back through the already softening ground.

* * *

"Hey, Katara I REALLY need your help so if you would wake up that would be GREAT." Sokkas voice barely reached Katara's conscious. 

She rolled over looking above the mountains, which were cloudy with storm.

She mumbled something under her breath about the humidity doing nothing for comfortable sleep then she stood up using her water bending to splash water on her face.

No matter though, the next thing would wake her up.

"Well, well, well if it isn't the little water wench that escaped with the help of the traitorous bastard of a brother."

"Azula" she spared no hatred when uttering the princesses name. She was ready in fighting stance.

"Ah, ah, ah, I wouldn't do that" tsked holding up a scorning finger ticking it back and forth.

Katara's attention was drawn to her brother held captive by a fire nation soldier a blade dug into his neck a small spot of blood rose from the tip.

The water tribe girl gasped.

* * *

Zuko plopped the dead bandit in front of the symbols on the stone altar. 

"Yes, yes very good." This startled Zuko a little he had forgotten about the disembodied voice.

"Finish it, please" it begged.

Zuko hesitated a moment longer but only leading to thoughts of revenge and the spirits promise, his only chance it seemed.

_"Sometimes I wonder why you make the foolish choices you make honestly Zuko, one day you're going to make a decision that I fear will do more than scar you, my nephew."_

Zuko scoffed the same way he had when his uncle had said it. "But I'm still alive…" tears threatened but he forced them down determined to be angry.

"Wellll?" the voice said impatiently.

Resolve flashed in his eyes.

"What do I do" Zuko said a little testily.

"Oh, I see a lack of the d--of the arts being practiced these days, very well" it sighed "Now, place your hands on the body" He hesitated a moment again not wanting to touch the body anymore than he wanted to pull his own eye out but the desire for power won over and he obliged obediently "good boy" the shadow seemed to squirm with anticipation.

Zuko awaited further instruction.

"Make sure you get the spell right." Was all the spirit said.

The boy shifted a little nervously at this realizing he wasn't exactly versed in the books of alchemy finally he sighed "how hard could it be to chant a few words?" he huffed.

Another impatient shimmer seemed to develop in the dark.

"You have to believe in the words, boy, don't falter, command them use my essence as well" he whispered somewhat urgently. "Doing it wrong could have dire consequences" the spirit sounded hungry at this the teen shivered a little angrily "What kind of 'consequences??" he yelled suddenly throwing his arms up in the air a little grateful to be free from touching the corpse, which, how he managed to dredge it up here would always be a mystery to him. He tried to force down the repugnant feeling as he thought about the corpse again. "Just do the incantation _right _and we shan't worry" it said annoyed pressing the blackness around Zukos form.

He sighed placing his hands back on the body a deep breath. Finally he began chanting the spell without falter.

"Good…"

A large red light filled the cave he instinctively raised his arm to block the blinding light.

He was thrown back he looked up to see a bandit standing over him offering him a hand it took a moment for him to realize it wasn't the bandit back for revenge and it was... well he realized he didn't know exactly.

"Need a hand, boy?"

Zuko stared a little shocked mouth agape but took the offered hand, though, with noted pause; he winced at the hands slimy cold.

"Now, this is much more easier isn't it, boy?"

"If you say so." The ex-prince said sounding very skeptical.

The bandit harrumphed

"Believe me it's only temporary" he grinned making the ex-princes stomach turn a little.

"Now all we need to do is bring back my full power in which to do so we must recover the sword of Otonashi Nori" the dead man grinned greatly as if he expected the exile to know exactly what he was talking about and run ahead enthusiastically, no such luck.

His face turned up into a sneer instead.

"Impossible!" Zuko hissed "The sword of 'Otonashi Nori' is merely a worn out legend told by commoners in the dark corners of the four kingdoms, nothing more"

"But it's not…" the bandit fumed angrily already losing patience the dead eyes glowed red for a moment the teen took a couple steps back.

"I'll show you the way"

"How?" he seemed to piece something together "Why would I help you anyway?"

"Well, because I'm going to give you the power to get that revenge you desire"

"What?? How do you…you expect me to believe you're just going to give me power—how do I know you won't just get this sword of Otonashi Nori and leave me?"

"Oh, leaving you is the last thing on my mind…besides the swords for you." He said looking intently into his face.

This gave Zuko pause.

"How can—"

"You trust me?" the bandit finished "First off call me Daisuke, please, and with given time I'm sure you will grow to trust me as a matter of fact you are my master."

"Me?"

"Yes observe your palm." He did an insignia glowed there.

"What..

"Does it mean" the man finished "My undying servitude is all, no pun intended, my boy" he gave Zuko a salute.

Zuko guffawed but the man wasn't finished.

"I'm not merely a spirit inhabiting a dead body, really I have power, that is at your disposal..go on give me an order Master…?" he prompted.

"Uh...Zuko" he finished.

"Ah yes, a fine name" He smiled bowing a little stiffly due to his current bodies condition.

Only the pattering of rain remained the dead bandit crossed his arms and began tapping a foot impatiently

"Well, Master Zuko...now don't be shy" He prompted.

He thought a moment surveying the cave.

"Uh, yes, destroy that uh rock there" he pointed to a rock just outside the cave walls.

Daisuke shrugged "Small fry" His eyes glowed and his shot a red bolt the rock was blown into tiny pieces.

Zuko was impressed. Daisuke grinned devilishly eyes still glowing red.


End file.
